la belle dame sans merci | carlisle cullen

Eighty-Seven

Note: Sorry for the wait! Life is big and difficult! nia92003 This one's for you, G— thanks for letting me know you were still thinking about this goofy lil story <3

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Minerva had spent the last twenty-three years fucking hating the song Walking on Sunshine. The sentiment was corny, the tune was bad, the vocals were grating. Every time it came on the radio, Minerva's eyes rolled to the back of her head. Now— well, now she kind of got it. The song still sucked, don't get her wrong, but she kind of got the sentiment now.

It wasn't that she'd forgotten the effect that Carlisle's presence had on her day-to-day— she just hadn't thought it could get better, mind. She'd enjoyed talking to him before, sure, but now she could really talk to him. She still had her riddles and secrets saved for the jury in the afterlife but god, was it nice to speak plainly— better yet, to hear plainly. A bit like walking on sunshine, in fact. It was a nice break from the horrors

Once or twice a week, without fail, Carlisle would show up with a grocery bag in hand and a cookbook under his arm: if I'm going to regularly have people who eat solids in my life, I'd like to know how to feed them.

They did some of their best talking in that time— plus, she got to watch Carlisle roll up his sleeves and furrow his brow at something other than her, so double win.

Things felt good.

Minerva was thinking about all of those good things, (in a way that summoned the urge to kick her feet and twirl a telephone cord,) when Bella came in for her shift. Minerva made the stupid mistake of asking if she was excited to start senior year, all those good things went out the storefront window.

"No." Bella grumbled, "My birthday is a week into the school year."

Minerva, frowning ironically, replied, "Bummer," noncommittally as she wiped down the counter. Only to really shove her foot in her mouth without realizing it, "Hey, it's another step closer to twenty-one." She added with a little laugh.

She'd never had Bella's glare turn on her but jeez, icy. "Don't say that." The girl grumbled in response.

Minerva put her hands up in surrender, "Just a boozing joke." She chimed, "Ease up, huh?"

"Sorry." Bella muttered, "It's just.." the girl heaved a sigh— the sort that let Minerva know she was about to complain, "Half of everyone I know have been so excited to turn eighteen and-and the other half is excited to turn nineteen after the new year and I don't want to do either."

Minerva laughed softly, as sympathetic as she could really hope to be, "Maybe it's been a while since I was seventeen, Bells, but I don't remember it being swell enough to miss it."

"Swell?" Bella parroted back, "You sound like Carlisle." Minerva very pointedly took interest in a scuff on the countertop. "Well, it's not exactly been swell but— I mean, I met Edward this year. Once I turn eighteen, I'm older than him. I'm just going to keep getting older than him."

"Bella, he's like ninety—"

She interjected with a wave of her hand, "He's a hundred and four but that's not the point." Right. "He's old but he's frozen at seventeen. First, I'm eighteen— and then, then I'm twenty-one like you said. Then I'm THIRTY." Sheesh. "And then before I know it, I'm grey and he still looks like that."

"Then you're still not even close to him?" Minerva could only blink at her. "Bella, you're thinking way too much about—"

"You sound like Edward." She sniped, "I'm thinking just the right amount. You can't imagine how it feels." Bella hesitated after she spoke, biting the inside of her cheek. "Maybe you can— but still! I'm just going to keep getting older."